Welcome to season 23 of USFL/WFL football. All 32 teams start 0-0 and 31 of them are hopeful they can do what the Houston Gamblers have done the last 2 seasons...win the World Bowl. Normally our All Pro Team would have been announced already, but the company that prints the ballots left us hanging and scrambling to find another printer. It's not as easy as going down to Kinko's, as we have had fake ballots in the past, so the league office uses one of just 3 printing companies in the U.S. that can handle the security features we need imbedded in the ballot for authenticity's sake. Remember, it's 1996 not 2021, so there aren't many companies with this technology yet. We have been in contact with one of the others and should have those ballots ready soon.
That's obviously a made up story, but time/energy has been an issue for me this offseason. Just when I get a little bit of both, I decide to join a league and the recent allocation draft took all of my attention, I even missed free agency 2 in Quick and the Dead. I'm slowly getting back to my normal routine so please bear with me. Let's check out Week 1 action.
Gamblers 31 Hornets 3
Houston's first drive of 1996 went 75 yards in 10 plays for a 7-0 lead, then the sloppiness set in for a little bit. Houston's defense wouldn't allow Charlotte to take advantage and the talent of the Gamblers eventually got the better of the Hornets. Lloyd Ellis rushed for 116 yards on just 9 carries while Tony Dean completed 26/37 for 309 yards and 2 TDs to lead the champs to victory.
Federals 13 Bulls 3
Washington's offense took awhile to get going, finally putting together back to back scoring drives in the 3rd quarter to take a 10-3 lead. The Federals defense limited Jacksonville's passing attack but were vulnerable on the ground, allowing the Bulls to run for 136 yards. Scott Randall did most of the damage with 90 yards in his last game as a Jacksonville Bull, as he was traded to Shreveport along with MLB Nathaniel Elliott for 3 first round picks and a 2nd. Elliott forced a fumble and led the defense with 15 tackles.
Generals 26 Renegades 23
Orlando had a chance to get some revenge on New Jersey after the Generals knocked the Renegades out of the playoffs last year, hosting the Generals in the home opener. Don Ferguson led New Jersey to TDs on their first 2 drives while Trey Lyons threw 4 first half INTs as the Generals led at the half 20-3. Lyons nearly brought Orlando back in the 2nd half, throwing a pair of TDs and finishing with 431 yards passing but the early deficit was too much to overcome. Don Ferguson ended the day 33/44, 380 yards, 2 TD and 1 INT while RB David Koresh had 147 combined yards and a TD.
Blitz 34 Storm 17
This was also a game between a pair of 1995 playoff teams, although they didn't play each other like Orlando/New Jersey. Portland out gained Chicago 440-309, and while Melvin Driggers threw for 345 yards and 2 TDs, his 3 INTs hurt the team, as did 2 lost fumbles by David Smith. The Chicago defense also held the Storm to 2/10 on 3rd down, and returned one of Smith's fumbles for a TD early in the 4th to give them a 31-3 lead. At that point, Blake Bortles, I mean Driggers found Richard Robinson for a pair of long TDs as Robinson ended the day with 6 catches for 222 yards. The comeback fell short and Chicago gets the win.
Maulers 13 VooDoo 7
Neither team had much success on 3rd down, combining to convert 5/22, although both offenses showed some good things. New Orleans QB Ellis Soza saw his first regular season action with the VooDoo, and he completed 26/32 for 229 yards. The VooDoo were only able to put 7 points on the board however, as their running game wasn't quite as productive as Pittsburgh. The Maulers also started a first time QB, as Paul Marcum made his Maulers debut after being acquired in a trade with New Jersey. Marcum was 16/23 for 130 yards and a TD, and was supported by a pair of RBs who ran for 77 yards each. The Maulers had 2 first half FGs for a 6-0 lead, then trailed 7-6 after the VooDoo TD, so Marcum's scoring toss was the eventual game winner after a scoreless 4th.
Panthers 38 Invaders 3
Former Pittsburgh QB Will Allison is now leading the Michigan offense, and so far he seems to like it up north. Allison finished 28/34, 336 yards, 4 TDs and 1 INT, producing a pair of 100 yard receivers. Michigan also ran the ball for 157 yards while holding Oakland to negative 8 yards on 19 carries. That total lack of running game made it hard to sustain drives, and while the passing game was efficient, it wasn't very productive. Andrew Moreno completed 21/26 for 153 yards and an INT as the Panthers win big at home.
(NY) Stars 31 Breakers 9
New York ran the ball just once all game, and why not when you have a WR like Albert Olson. Fresh off his record breaking 1995 season, Damien Oleary connected with Olson 15 times today for 206 yards and a TD. Oleary was 38/58 overall with 355 yards and 3 TD passes. Boston had just cut the lead to 24-6 in the 4th quarter when RB William Hall sealed the win with a 101 yard kickoff return for a TD.
Wheels 12 Gunslingers 3
San Antonio QB Robert Fanelli threw 3 INTs while Detroit's Gabriel Flanagan threw just 1 as the offenses seemed to be playing hot potato. There were no TDs scored in this game and Detroit's Kent Olden made 4/5 FG attempts as Detroit wins a true "foot"ball game.
Gold 31 Steamer 0
Shreveport was shut out today, although it will be interesting to see how their 2 new players fit in. Steamer management obviously thinks they will help tremendously, given the price they paid for their services. Denver ran all over Shreveport today, gaining 221 on the ground on 46 carries. Jerry Murphy scored 2 TDs while Erik Younker ran for 141 yards and a TD to lead the Denver RBBC. QB Andrew Brewer only completed 50% of his passes and had a 1/2 TD/INT ratio, but the Gold defense and running game had his back.
Thunderbolts 19 Bell 13
Another defensive type game as Philadelphia broke an early 3-3 tie with an INT return for a TD by Jose Shea. There were a combined 6 trips into the red zone that produced 5 FGs as the lone offensive score was a 66 yard run by Cleveland's Howard Rouse. Thunderbolts QB Tony Romo threw 3 INTs in just 16 passes but Carlos Reed connected on 4 FGs to 2 for Steve Matthews and Cleveland gets the win.
Stallions 27 Wranglers 20
Arizona got their season started off on the right foot as William Haubert returned the opening kickoff 105 yard for the instant 7-0 lead. Ex Memphis QB Norman Maldonado ended up with a typical game for him as he finished 29/43, 321 yards, 3 TDs and 3 INTs, but he did lead the Stallions to 17 unanswered points for a 17-7 2nd qtr lead. Brian Carmichael tried to lead a comeback, and Arizona got within 24-17 by halftime, but the second half saw just 1 FG apiece and Birmingham holds on for the win.
Force 48 Blazers 26
Florida held the ball 37:39, converted 11/22 3rd downs, ran for 139 yards and had 460 total yards...and lost by 3 scores. How? Georgia QB Thomas Jacobi completed 27/34, 511 yards, 5 TDs and 1 INT while Glen Hampton smoked the Blazers defense with 420 yards and 4 TDs on 9 catches. Florida led 7-0, then Georgia scored 21 unanswered and led at the half 31-17. Florida got within 31-23 early in the 4th, but Jacobi to Hampton struck quickly to build the lead back to 15 and the defense sealed the victory by sacking Willie Graham, causing a fumble and returning it for a TD.
Showboats 24 Stars 0
Former RB Erik McNamee has taken over at QB for the now departed Norman Maldonado, and he completed 24/33 for 258 yards and 2 TDs to lead Memphis to victory. The Showboats defense allowed new Baltimore QB Stephen Ponder to complete a lot of underneath routes as he finished 23/29 for just 115 yards while also keeping the running game in check. Baltimore had bad field position all day and Memphis kept them out of the red zone and the end zone, shutting out the rebuilding Stars.
SaberCats 23 Outlaws 9
We had several defensive games in Week 1 and this game was among them. Each QB tossed a pair of INTs, but Rodney Richardson ran for 111 yards and a TD as San Jose had the better offense today. The SaberCats converted 8/16 3rd downs while holding Oklahoma to 1/11, and they enjoyed an 11 minute time of possession advantage. Oklahoma tried to stage a comeback, but they turned it over on each of their last 3 possessions, twice on downs as San Jose gets the win.
Bandits 22 Express 14
QB Nicholas Irvine made his debut for Tampa Bay today, and while he didn't fill the box score (22/39, 152 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT), it was a successful debut as the running game had the rookie's back. Gregory Rivera ran for 96 yards and Charles Granier had 76, and somewhere in New Jersey, Antonio Martinez is asking why he never had that running support. Los Angeles scored first, taking a 7-0 lead on a David Tavarez pass to Corey Gibbons. Tampa Bay got a FG and an Irvine TD pass for a 10-7 lead before Irvine threw a pick six to Richard Blanco, giving the Express a 14-10 lead. Tampa Bay cut it to 14-13 by halftime and 3 second half FGs gave the Bandits the win. Los Angeles had opportunities, but they had 4 turnovers of their own, including 3 lost fumbles. Mario Price also missed 2 FG attempts and the offense ran out of time as they closed in on a potential game tying score.
Hawaiians 23 Sun 7
Honolulu started fast in 1995, going 2-0 before losing the next 6 to derail their season. They also started 1996 fast, taking an early 7-0 lead thanks to a pick six by William McEntire. QB Derek Henry followed that up with a pair of TD passes as the Hawaiians led 20-0 at the half. Southern California got very little out of their running game and QB Harold Angulo isn't accurate enough to carry an offense on his back. Angulo did throw a late TD pass to avoid the shutout as Honolulu wins.
